Casino dell'Aurora with Caravaggio mural to auction for €471M

The Casino dell'Aurora, a historic building in Rome housing the only known mural by Caravaggio, will be auctioned on January 18, 2022, with a starting value of €471 million. The sale was ordered by the Tribunal of Rome due to an inheritance dispute among the heirs of Prince Nicolò Boncompagni-Ludovisi, who died in 2018. The building, originally a 16th-century villa for Cardinal Francesco Maria Del Monte, features Caravaggio's 1597 ceiling mural of Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto, as well as frescoes by Guercino. The property is under strict preservation orders, making commercial redevelopment nearly impossible. The auction will be held digitally over 24 hours, with a minimum bid of €353 million and increments of €1 million. The Italian state retains a right of first refusal at the final bid price. Critics like Tomaso Montanari have protested the sale, while others argue it could attract a new patron to restore and open the site to the public.